Dreams Do Come True…

Isaac getting carried by his teammates.

Akagera National Park

Jambo Beach Restaurant

Hope everyone has had a great start to the new year! I know I sure have had a great start to the year. 🙂

To start out this adventure of 2016 I went to Akagera National Park with some friends I met out here in Kayonza. That was such a great day and experience. It was just like you would see on television: exotic animals in their natural habitat. We saw my favorite the Giraffes, Zebras, Baboons, Antelope, Baby Crocs, Hippos, Buffalo, and Warthogs just to name a few. I asked if I could ride the giraffes but the tour guide said I couldn’t get that close. She said a Giraffe’s kick could kill a lion! So later in the week, I went to a restaurant and rode the giraffe statue that they have there. I can now officially say that I rode a Giraffe in Africa, Dreams do come true! 🙂

I started testing out some new health curriculum about germs. We even did some passing drills in practice to give the kids a hands-on demonstration to relate to about how germs are spread and how fast it can be spread. They were extremely engaged and really seemed to enjoy the lessons.

While the lessons were going good, we had another mishap here in Kayonza. One of the rims snapped right off again. We were able to find an old rim that was salvageable, the bottom piece isn’t connected to the back plate. I’m hoping we might be able to get someone to come weld the piece back together so the rim is more sturdy. But for now it is acceptable for practice, as long as the guys aren’t dunking on it. 🙂

I went to a Mosque very close to the court here in Kayonza trying to recruit some more kids, specifically more girls. It was awesome! The kids were so excited they were screaming and yelling, a few of the boys were even dancing around. The next day there were about 20 girls and 15 boys that joined us for practice. The recruiting was a success! 🙂 Some of the youth were a little young, but I figured it’s never too early to learn some basketball. 🙂 Now the younger ones won’t be able to play in the league, but they can learn some new skills at the practices! And when they are old enough to participate they will already know a little about basketball. And my buddy Obama, the little guy that guards the balls during our practices, has proven to me that the little ones are definitely a great asset to the program in one way or another. Obama has tried to help me out in any way he can. He was trying to help me carry my backpack one day. I kept telling him thank you and that I was all set, he didn’t have to, but he continued on wanting to help. The bag was as big as he was, but he didn’t let that stop him!

I rewarded another player this week with a pair of sneakers for his hard work and determination to be successful. Isaac is one of the smaller players but he always tries his hardest in every drill. When he is trying to do dribble moves and go between the legs, the ball will barely fit between his legs, but he continues to persevere and work hard. And because of his determination as dedication, coming to practice everyday, I decide to reward him. He was coming to practice everyday working hard and playing barefoot so the sneaker were greatly appreciated. The other kids were so happy that I gave him a pair of sneakers that they carried him around the court on their shoulders. It wasn’t just him that was proud, it was the whole team. These kids make a great team because they support each other unconditionally and that is great to see as a coach.

I would like to close out by wishing my brother a Happy Belated Birthday, 26 you’re getting old! 🙂